Harris Teeter

Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Inc. is an American supermarket chain based in Matthews, North Carolina, just outside Charlotte. As of October 2015, the chain operates 235 stores in seven states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. Supermarket News ranked Harris Teeter No. 34 in the 2012 "Top 75 Retailers & Wholesalers" based on 2011 fiscal year sales of $4.3 billion. Based on 2005 revenue, Harris Teeter is the ninety-third largest retailer in the United States.

On July 9, 2013, Harris Teeter announced that it was being acquired by The Kroger Company. The merger closed on January 28, 2014, though Harris Teeter retained its name, brand and headquarters in Matthews.

History

Founding and early days

Harris Teeter was founded by two entrepreneurs, William Thomas Harris and Willis L. Teeter, who started their separate businesses during the Great Depression in Charlotte, North Carolina, and later merged them.

Harris, an employee of the A&P store on Central Avenue and Pecan that was Charlotte's first supermarket, borrowed funds in 1936 to open the Harris Super Market at 1704 Central Avenue. The store had eight employees. It was primarily a dry goods store because frozen foods and refrigeration did not become common until World War II. To the family and then employees, it was known as Store #1. This store, known as Harris Teeter store #201, closed on June 5, 2012, and was replaced by a two-story store #401 on the same site, which opened on May 29, 2013.